Liz Murphy was born and raised in Surrey England and is a professionally trained abstract artist and mother of two sons. Always creating and painting, she studied Graphic Design at art school and has enjoyed a diverse and successful creative career. Her roles have included creative and studio director in various London based design agencies, illustrator of New York Times bestselling children’s books, designer of a range of kid’s products and more recently running her own Interior Design firm. Now based in New Jersey, Liz is also a JourneyDance guide. It is her intention to share her unselfconscious, expressive approach to creativity with others through her art and creative play workshops. In the early hours of the morning, you will often find Liz in her loft art studio, with the music blasting, covered in paint, totally oblivious to the clock and happy as a pig in mud!
Statement
In 2016, when my 23 year marriage exploded and I received a cancer diagnosis, I suddenly woke up to the realization that I had lost sight of my personal dreams and aspirations. Having raised my 2 wonderful sons, it was time to spread my wings, push my edges, explore new opportunities and find what brought me joy. I had been a professional designer and commercial artist since leaving Art School but really everything I had ever done creatively was for someone else. So the big question that was burning in my heart was "who would I be and what would it look like IF I just created just for ME! I needed to find myself and in doing so found a deep well of creativity I didn't know was there.
Enter Abstract expressionism painting. I had always wanted to try abstract painting but had never given myself permission to create, just for me. So I began attending workshops and soon realized I had come home. It has been liberating to find a creative outlet that allowed me to fully express myself freely and unselfconsciously. It satisfies a deep yearning to feel FREE. It makes me feel ALIVE. When I get to my studio, my goal is to simply be present, open, and vulnerable enough to surrender to the process. I allow the painting to guide me in a kind of dance. My only responsibility is to show up and lean into what feels authentic and feeds my soul. Some days I need the experience to be exhilarating and stimulating. Some days I need to to be soothing and comforting. Some days it is simply a battle not to let my own limiting beliefs take over and hold me captive. I am learning that personal freedom appears when I leave my expectations at the door. Inspiration starts when I show up and take risks. Being authentic and real, happens when I pay attention to an inner voice, some call ‘instinct’. When I yield to all of this and get out of my thinking mind, I find I am fearless, in a magical ‘in between space’. It is what Artists call ‘the flow’. it can be fleeting. It can cause me to lose track of time. It is my medicine.
The pieces I produce are souvenirs of my journey. Sometimes they are a clear snapshot of where I am energetically. Sometimes they totally take me by surprise and connect me to a feeling or emotion I was unaware of. Either way, it is transformational and has led me to a place where I have found truth and a much deeper connection to a power greater than myself. It is my prayer and my meditation. My hope and desire is that my work allows you to hear that quiet, inexplicable voice within.. A voice that communicates and connects you to an emotion or a feeling that only art or music can evoke. I now know from experience this to be the portal that can transport us to wherever it is we want to go!
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